


not the right place

by ottermo



Series: As Prompted [72]
Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: Collab Week, Gen, Voyages of the Emerald Eye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 22:45:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14681022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ottermo/pseuds/ottermo
Summary: The crew of the Emerald Eye are struggling to stay on course during a violent storm. Captain Hawkins is struggling with other things.





	not the right place

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Not the Right Name](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/381603) by nachocheese-itsmycheese. 



> This was written (very late!) for the Humans Collab week - the prompt was 'AU Switch', where you take a fic and put it in a different AU. I used nachocheese-itsmycheese's fic 'Not the Right Name' and stuck it into my pirate AU (which is more just a... sailing AU since they aren't actually pirates...heh...) 
> 
> Just sticking these up here before series 3 starts even though the challenge was literally 11 months ago... don't mind me...

The stormy waves rocked the Emerald Eye violently, and despite Mia’s strong grip on the wheel, the ship was straying wildly off course. They would not reach the shore by morning - they should never have tried. Mia yelled instructions to Flash and Hester, as they tried to tame the swinging sail before it knocked someone overboard. Her voice was all but carried away on the high wind. Rain lashed down, obscuring her vision to the point where she only vaguely noticed Niska appearing at her elbow.

“Let me steer,” her sister called, having to shout over the turbulent weather, even from such a short distance. “The captain needs you!”

Mia thought about arguing, but it just wasn’t practical at present. Niska was easily as good a sailor as she; there was no-one she trusted more with the ship, after herself and the captain. She handed over control, departing the helm and making her way to the stairs that led below deck, stepping carefully as the ship jolted to and fro.

She could hear the captain’s shouts of pain as she descended, carrying down the narrow passageway between the cabins. Mia felt a rush of sympathy - though she would never give birth herself, she couldn’t imagine a worse time to do so than on board a ship in the middle of a stormy night.

The captain’s husband was with her, holding onto her hand and encouraging her to breathe. Mia heard Laura swear on the sails that this was the last child they’d have.

The ship’s doctor was attending, of course, so Mia’s arrival made even the captain’s spacious quarters feel cramped and crowded. She squeezed around until she was on the captain’s left, the opposite side to Mr Hawkins. Laura turned her head to look at her.

“Mia,” she said, her voice somewhat calmer. Then her eyes filled with alarm. “Is there a problem with—”

“No, no,” Mia said, cutting her off, “It’s all under control.” An almighty shudder went through the ship, apparently caught on a larger wave. “As under control as it can be, in this,” Mia amended. “I came to see how you were doing.”

“Terrible,” said Laura, matter-of-factly. “Never have children, Mia.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” said Mia with a grin, and took Laura’s spare hand.

When it came to it, the birth was fairly straightforward. “Congratulations, Captain, Mr Hawkins,” said the ship’s doctor, Gentry. “You have a boy.”

Clearly, Mr Hawkins was thrilled by the news. Mia could not discern the captain’s feelings; she mostly looked exhausted. The baby was nestled against her chest, face red, eyes closed. Mia ran the newborn’s features through her recognition software, searching for any resemblance to the parents. The nose was similar in shape to Laura’s. Beyond that, the baby did not favour either Captain or Mr Hawkins particularly.

Mr Hawkins leaned over to kiss the captain’s forehead. “What are we going to name him?”

Mia distinctly remembered Laura deciding on ‘Sophie’, if she were to have another daughter, but she’d not heard any suggestions for a boy.

“What about Tobias?” Mr Hawkins continued. “Toby, for short.”

The captain considered it. “That sounds—” she began, then paused as the ship took another great swing. “That sounds more like a name for the ship’s cat.”

Mr Hawkins chuckled, and looked down at his son fondly. This was the most comfortable Mia had ever seen him look on board the Emerald. Usually, the captain’s husband was ill at ease here, the place that was so obviously Laura’s domain and true home. If questioned, he would blame it on seasickness, but Mia thought it more likely that he resented the amount of time his wife spent at sea instead of by his side.

“Laura, he’s beautiful,” Mr Hawkins said, voicing Mia’s own sentiments. “He’s even got your nose.”

“No,” said the captain wearily, “Not mine. It’s…”

She trailed off. Mia longed to know why, but knew better than to ask.

“I know we never decided on a name for a son. But what do you honestly think about Toby?”

The captain looked up at Mr Hawkins, and lifted the baby a little to let him hold his son for the first time. “No, I… it’s good. Toby. Toby Hawkins.”

Mia watched the scene with a smile, so close yet so far from their family unit. Still, she reminded herself, she was far from alone. All of her siblings were counted among her shipmates, and Leo was growing up to be a fine young sailor too.

And if that wasn’t enough, they could always get a ship’s cat.


End file.
